Slider for fasteners



Oct. 14, 1930. Q E, PRENTHSE 1,778,338

SLIDER FOR FASTENERS Filed Oct. 16, 1929 Patented Cet. 14, 1930 UNIIED vSTATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE E. PRE'NTICE, OF BERLIN, CONNECTICUT, AssIGNOR To G. E. PRENTICE MANU- EACTURING COMPANY, OE NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OE CON- .N EGTICUT -SLIDER FOR FASTENERS Applicationkled October 16, 1929. Serial No. 399,954.

This invention pertains to fastening devices of theclass commonly'known as separable, interlocking fasteners of which the patent to Judson, No. 557,207, dated March 31, 1896 may be cited as an early instance. Such' devices' are commonly employed for closing 'gaps or Openings in garments, for eX- ample, sweaters, coats, leggings, .overshoes- However, it has been recognized since as 'early at least as the Judson patent above referred to, that if the cam elements of the slider are of such yslope as to insure ease of operation,

the slider may slip lengthwise of the closed fastener in response to stresses tending to open the gap, thus allowing the gap to Open inadvertently, unless some means be provided for positively holding the slider at the limit of its -travel with the gap closed. In the Judson patent referred to, a crude form of retaining means comprising loops adapted to engage appropriate pins was provided for the purpose and since the yJudson patent, many other retaining devices have 'been proposed.

Sincerapidity of actuation is one of the important advantages claimed for fasteners of this type, it is obvious that any retaining means requiring careful manipulation by the operator detracts from the value of the device, and for this reason, attempts have been made to embody the retaining means in the actuating pull or tab in such a way that when the pull or tab is released after actuation of the slider .and allowed to hang vertically down, the slider is automatically retained in position.

In onevery desirable construction known to me, a slider, which in most respects is of a usual type, has an openingin its front wing in which a frictionmember is loosely fitted and the pull tab has an offset or cam at its inner side so arranged that'when the pull 33 hangs downwardly from one end of the slider, the Cam or offset foroes the friction member inwardly through the Opening so that it presses against the fastener elements, thus preventing accidental movement of the slider, but in this prior construction, if for any reason the slider be inverted so that the pull tab hangs downwardly from the other end of the slider, the cam element of the pull tab is no longer effective to actuate the friction member.

However, in some garments or other articles, the gap is closed by movement of the slider upwardly, while in other instances, the gap is closed by downward movement of the slider. Since the pull tab tends to hang downwardly in either case when released byv the operator it has previously been-necessary in constructing sliders of the type just referred to. to design the pull and retaining means with particular reference to the direcf tion of movement'of the slider in closing the gap, and thus a garment manufacturer who used fasteners, some of which closed by up- ,ward and others by downward movement of the slider, has been obliged to provide himself with sliders of two distinct forms.

In accordance with the present invention, I provide a slider having a very simple, inexpensive and reliable form of pull controlled retaining means which will retain the slider in adjusted position with the pull depending whether the slider be intended for movement upwardly or downwardly in closing the gap..

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention by way of example l In the drawings:

Fig. lis a fragmentary front elevation, to large scale, illustrating a fastener of the type referred to provided with a slider embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section substantially on the line 2 2 of Fig. l showing the vparts positioned to retain the slider in adjusted position, certain of the fastener elements being shown in section but omitting the stringers;

Fig. 3 is a section similar to Fig. 2 but indicating the position of the parts suitable for actuation of the slider for .closing or Opening' the gap;

eoI

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view to smaller scale illustrating the use ofthe improved slider in closing gap's by movement of the slider upwardly or downwardly respectively; Y

Fig. 5 is a plan lviewrto large.j scale of a blank suitable for use in forming. the slider body herein illustrated;

Fig. 6 is a composite View showing in front and side elevation a suitable form of pull or tab useful in actuating the slider of Figs, 1 to 3;

Fig. 7 is a plan view to large scale of a blank useful in the preparation of the friction device forming a part of the invention;

' Fig. 8 is an edge elevation of the friction device completed; and

Fig. 9 is a view similar to- Fig. 3 illustratingI the locking action when the slider occupies the position shown at the lower part of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings I will first describe one desirable form of slider provided with a retaining shoe engageable with the fastener elements and will ,then Vdescribe my improved means for actuating the shoe,4

such means being so designed as to permit use of the same v,slider for closing the gap either by upward or downward movement of the slider. Referring partizclxlarly to Figs. 1 to 3, the numerals 1 and esignate tapes or stringers to which the opposed series of fastener elements 3 are respectively connected. While it is usual to furnish fasteners of this kind to the trade in the -form 'of a complete structure comprising the tapes or stringers upon which the series of fastener elements are mounted, it is to be understood that so far as its broader aspects are concerned the present invention is not necessarily limited to the inclusion of these tape members, since it is conceivable that the fastener elements might be applied directly to the edges of the material in which the gap occurs and when in the appended claims the term Stringer is employed, it is to be understood as broadly comprehending an flexible element forming in effect one e ge of the gap to be closed. For convenience in illustration I have shown the fastener` elements 3 as of the type more -fully described for example,

and claimed in the patent to Prentice and Legat No. 1,658,392, dated February 7, 1,928, but it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to such spe.

ciic use but is applicable to fasteners of t other types falling within the general class.

For use in moving the fastener ,elements of the opposed seriesinto operative relationship, I employ a 4slider S which in general may be of a type well known in the art" as, that shown in the patent to Prentice No. 1,677,408, Julyv 17, 1928, al-V though I have here illustrated the slider as of specifically novel form and construction.

united by the neck 6 and having the elongatey guide tongue 7 projecting integrally from the outer end of the wing portion 4a. This elongate guide tongue 7 is provided near its free end with a portion 8 of reduced Width, beyond which the extremity 9 of the tongue again increases in width. The neck 6 is providedat its opposite edges with lintegral tabs' 10 and 11 and it is to be understood that, as usual, in the manufacture of sheet metal sliders, the lateral edges of the wing portions 4a and 5 are bentfinwardly to formsuitable. guide flanges. The blank, as shown in Fig. 5, is bent atfthe junctions of the wing members with the neck so as to bring the wing portions `into substantially parallel relation, and theA guide tongue 7 is then bent to provide the lower 'substantially horizontal portion 12 (Fig. 2), theA substantially vertlcal guide portion 13 which -is parallel to and spaced fromthe ,front surface ofT the wing 4, and the topfmember 14 across the top I or which extendsk rearwardly portion8 of the the slider. The reduce tongue is disposed between the tabs 10 and 11 which are turned upwardlyv and then inwardly as indicated Vin Fig. 1 so as to clamp the end portion of the tongue between them.

VThe front wing 4 is provided with an open-A ing 15 -for the passage of the yfriction shoe 16.

VThis friction shoe is conveniently formed as an integral U-shaped bend ina sheet metal rocker member comprising stiilyA resilient arms 17 and l18. This rocker may be made from a piece of sheet material the divergent of the general shape indicated in Fig. 7 havy A ing the central neck portion 16 of such width that when bent tothe shape shown in F ig. 8 it may pass through `the opening 15. This blank also comprises the end portions 17a and 18" of greater width than the neck and adapted to form the arms 17 and 18. Preferably the outer ends of these arms are forked to provide the retaining fingers 19 which engage the opposite edges of the guide member 13 in order to hold the rocker in vproperly assembled relation to the slider body. The pull or tab 20 is here shown as of a general type commonly employed in sliders of this kind and is preferably made from sheet material of any suitable character.

y present invention relates to improvements upon the slider thus far'described. In accordance with the present invention the tab or pull is preferably of more or less T-shape in edge elevation as shown in Fig. 6. the cross arm of the T being formed by suitably bendmg or swedging the upper edge of the sheet recessed or material forming the bod of the pull. Thus, as shown in this figure, t e pull proper is provided with the oppositely and laterally projecting portions 21 and 22 which collectively form the crossbar of the T-Shaped pull.

The pull is provided with an opening 23 through which the guide member 13 passes,

the guide and opening supportingr the pull pivotally and permitting the pull to be moved from one end to the other of the slider. As indicated in Figs. 2 and 3 the cross bar of the pull is disposed between the front face of the rocker and the rear face of guide 13. When, as shown more particuarly in Fig. 3 the pull is swung outwardly at a substantial angle to the direction of movement of the slider in order to facilitate actuation of the latter, the crossbar comprising the members 21 and 22 moves freely in the space between the guide 13 and the rocker so that the position of the rocker is not effected substantially by the pull, thus permitting the shoe 16 to retreat from the opening 15 and preventing any substantial .pressure of the shoe against l the fastener elements so that the slider can be moved freely in either direction. Assuming that the slider is moved upwardly to close the fastener, as shown at the upper part of Fig. 4, the pull 20, when released by the operator, will hang downwardly from the lower end ofthe guide 13, the weight of the pull tending to swing it to a substantially vertical position. Since the crossbar comprising the members 21 and 22 is of substantial width, the vertically depending pull causes the ends of the bar to contact respectively with the guide 13 and with the lower arm 17 of the rocker, and the crossbar thus acts as a cam for forcing the arm 17 against the wing 4. By reason of the divergent arrangement of the arms 17 and.18 the'end of the arm 18 now bears resiliently against the inner surface of the guide 13 which forms a slightly resilient abutment. and the pressure of the crossbar of the pull against the lower arm 17 causes the shoe 16 to projectv through the opening 1 5 and press forciblyagainst the fastener elements. pushing them against the rear wall 5 of the slider and exerting a frictional drag which effectively prevents accidental movement of the slider. To assure the maintenance of this locking or holding action the pull 20 may be swung rearwardly by pressure of the fingers toward the plane of the wing 4 (with reference to'the pivotal support of the pull upon the guide 13) so that the crossbar, comprising the parts 21 and 22 will assume an inclined position. In thus pressing the pull rearwardly, the rocker arms 17 and 18 as well as the guide 13 may spring slightly, being formed of resilient material,

' and thus when the pull is disposed in its rear- `ward position, as described, the pressure of the parts will so'retain it until itis positively swung forwardly beyond the vertical plane.

Since the crossbar of the pull is substantially symmetrical, that is to say, projects to both sides of the plane of the part 20, the pull will operate in the same way for pressing the friction shoe into operative engagement with the slider elements whether the slider be disposed as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 or whether it be reversed as shown at the lower part of Fig. 4. Thus our improved slider may be used with the same locking or holding effects in closing gaps either by upward or downward movement. For example, in childrens draw leggings, the gap in the body portion is usually closed by a slider which moves upwardly, while the gaps in the legs are closed by sliders which move downwardly. By employing the slider above described, the manufacturer of such a garment may use like sliders both in the body portion and in the legs of the garment, with the assurance that the sliders will remain in gap-closing position indefinitely until positively moved to open the gap.

While I have illustrated certain desirable embodiments of the invention by way of eX- ample, I wish it to be understood that the invention is not to be limited by the arrangements specifically shown and described but is broadly intrusive 'of such modified constructions as fall within the range of equivalency of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A slider for fasteners of the kind having stringers carrying series of interengaging fastener elements, said slider being of the kind having front and rear wings' and retaining means comprising a shoe fitted loosel in an opening in one of the wings, a pull or moving the slider in either direction, said pull device comprising means cooperable with the retaining means when the pull is at either the lower or upper end of the slider and positioned substantially parallel to the path of movement of the slider, thereby to cause the shoe to engage the fastener elements and retain the slider in osition, the slider thus being adapted for alternative use with fasteners which are closed either by upward vor downward movement of the slider.

2. A slider for fasteners of the kind having stringers carryingseries of interengaging fastener elements, said slider being of the kind having front and rear wings and having retaining means comprising a shoe fitted loosely in an openinor in one of the wings and a pull for moving the slider in either direction, said pull having cam elements projecting from its opposite sides for cooperation re spectively with said retaining means whenever the pull is disposed at either the lower or upper end of the slider and positioned substantiall parallel to the path of movement of the sllder', thereby to cause the shoe to engage the fastener elements and retain the are closed by upward or downward movement tral part disposed in tlie'opening in the front vao slider in adjusted positionwhether the slider be used for closing a fastener by upward or" by downward movement.

3. A slider for fasteners of the'kind having'stringers carrying series of interengaging fastener elements, said slider being adapted for alternative use with fasteners which of the slider respectively, and comprising .a pull for moving the slider, the pull normally depending from that end of the slider which for the time being is the lower end, retaining means actuable, by the pull, while so depending, for retaining the slider in adjusted position, said means'comprisinga friction shoe fitting loosely in an opening in the slider wall and engageable with the fastener elementsto retain the slider in adjusted' position., means on the pull cooperable with the retaining means when the -pull is at either the lower or upper end of the slider for locking. the slider in any Vposition of its travel.'

4. A slider for lfasteners-of the kind having stringers carrying series of interengaging fastener elements, said slider being adapted for' alternative use with fasteners which are closed by upward or downward movement of the slider respectively, and comprising a pull for moving the slider, thepull normally depending fromthat end of the slider which forthe time being is the lower end, and friction means actuable by the pull when so depending for retaining the slider inadjusted position, said fastener means comprising a shoe fitting loosely in an opening in the slider ,wall and a part engageable by .the pull when depending from eitherend of the slide respectively to force said shoe into retaining engagament with the fastener elements, means on the pull cooperable with the retaining means when the pull is at either the lower or upper end of the slider-for locking ther slider in any position of its travel.

'5. A slider for fasteners of the kind having stringers carrying series vof interengaging fastener' elements, said slider being adapted for alternative use with fasteners' which are closed by upward or downward movement of .the slider respectively, and comprising a slidable pivoted pull for moving theuslider,

I .the pull normally hanging from that end of the slider which for the time being is the lower end, and retaining means for holding 'the slider in adjusted position, said retaining .means-comprising a rocker having divergent 'body of the slider.

of s uspension for causing the retaining means to become and remain operative.

' 6. A slider for fastenersof the kind having. stringers carrying series of interengaging fastener elements, said slider having front and rear wings, the front wing having an opening therein, an elongate guide spaced from the front wing, a rocker having a cenwing and divergent arms adapted to engage the 4inner surface of said guide, and a T- shaped pull having an opening lfor the reception of' the guide, 'the crossbar of the T- shapedfpull being. interposed between the inner surface of the guide and the rocker and being cooperable with either rocker arm to force the central portion of the rocker against the fastener elements.

7. A slider for fasteners of the kind having stringers carrying series of interengaging` fastener elements, said slide-r having front and rear wings, one wing having an opening `therein, an elongated guide spaced from-the apertured wing, a rocker having a 'central part constituting a friction shoe disposed in the .opening of'sald wlng and also havlng divergent arms adapted to engage'the inner surface of the guide, a pull movable along 'the guide, said pull comprising cam' elementsv cooperable alternately with either v of the rocker arms for forcing the friction shoe against the fastener elements.

8'. A slider for fasteners of the kind having stringersv'carrying- Vseries of interengaging fastener elements, said .slider having front and rear wings, one -wing having an aperture therein, an elongate guide spaced from the apertured wing, a rocker having a central part constituting a friction shoe disposed in the aperture in said wing, and also having divergent arms adapted alternately to engage the inner surface of the guide, and an actuating device comprising means cooperable alternatively withxthe respective rocker arms for forcing the'friction shoe against the fastener elements, the ends of the rock'er having retaining fingers engaging the guide for holding the rocker in assembled relationA with the Signed by 111e at Waterbury, Conn., this 9th day of October, 1929.

=GEORGE E.- PREN TICE.

wings and a central part constituting a friction lshoeengageable with the fastener elements to hold the slider in adjusted position,' thev slider comprising lelements engageable with the Wings and centraljpart respectivly of the rocker for holding `the latter inassembled relation to the. slider body, the pull yhaving elements lcooperable respectively with I vthe wingsof the rockerxwhenever the pull is v swung rearwardly with respect to its point 

